I've been meaning to post about the fondue party playgroup we hosted in honor of Anouk's birthday since it happened, all the way back in March. But somewhere along the way I misplaced my SD card with the party pictures on it and didn't find it again until this past weekend (in the bottom of my camera bag...like, who would ever look there?)...
A few weeks ago, one of our readers wrote on our Facebook page that Chic's Beach is her favorite local beach and J., A., and I visited the following weekend to check it out. Lately, we've been going for a walk on the beach every evening that the weather's been nice, and Chic's has become one of our favorite places to sit and...
Brunswick stew is -- or might be, there's some confusion -- a Virginia original. There are variants up and down the southern US seaboard and I have had many of them. It's interesting, the different twists that each locality puts on this classic. In Georgia, the broth is thin and very spicy. in North Carolina, pulled pork is used in place of chicken...
We're big fans of Zoo Tales at the Virginia Zoo, so we gave a big cheer when they brought back their summertime sister program, Garden Tales, at the beginning of April. Like Zoo Tales, the Garden Tales program consists of a few themed stories suitable for toddlers and younger kids, but instead of meeting new animal friends each week, participants are introduced to...
It could be I am possibly too excited about this craft that Baby A. and I did last week. I'm a very crafty person -- but Anouk isn't, which means that most of our art sessions end up with a toddler crying because her hands are covered in goop. But I still keep pressing on because I want my child to grow creatively......
Anne and I spent three days at the beach last week -- in April! Tuesday, we went for a beautiful walk at East Beach, Wednesday we met up with friends at the Community Beach Park for a bracing swim, and on Thursday, we hit Willoughby Spit with our Auntie C. for a stroll along the Ocean View Fishing Pier. The pier used to...
Sometime around Anouk's second birthday it happened. It was triggered by her first viewing of Shrek, maybe, or the tiny set of Weeble-esque Disney heroines given to her by my Aunt Liz. She added a new word to her vocabulary: "pin-theth," said in a little piping voice. She became aware that there are princesses in the world. I hadn't exactly been hiding this...
There's really only one time of year to visit the Great Dismal Swamp, and the time is now. In summer, the swamp tends to live up to its name: it's hot, dark, smelly, and the bugs. Oh, the bugs! By mid-May, the mosquitoes are out in swarms and they don't go away until October or November, and by then, things are pretty gray...
This week we've been taking advantage of the wonderful weather and are doing a little spring cleaning. We threw the windows up, cranked up the Violent Femmes and have been washing windows, beating rugs, and fitting in a hundred other little tasks that we've been meaning to get to all winter but haven't had the energy to do. I think I understand now...
A few Saturdays ago, Anne and I took a trip to the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary in Norfolk for the first time and loved it. You can click over to My Active Child to read more about our visit. Happy Wednesday! ...
Last week I posted Part I of our trip to Colonial Williamsburg with friends. Today I want to post Part II: namely, the two can't-miss places to eat (with kids or even without them) when you're in town. My little sis went to William and Mary, and so our family got to sample many of Williamsburg's great restaurants when we visited her. But...
